Petition: Rename Lee Circle, Brees Circle

A petition is circulating that calls for Lee Circle in New Orleans to be renamed Brees Circle in honor of the Black and Gold’s most beloved athlete. A statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee once stood high above the circle where uptown meets downtown. Petition creator Blake Ivey says the idea came to him last April.

“After the statues were down there were meetings, and I was interested in what they were going to replace it with. The first thing that came to mind was, who’s done so much for the City of New Orleans,” said Ivey.

The removal of Confederate statues led to heated, weeks-long confrontations between pro and anti-confederate monument factions across the city at several monument locations.

Ivey says if there’s one guy in the city who everyone agrees isn’t controversial, it would be Brees.

“There’s going to be something in history that remembers that person in a negative light and really and truly there is nothing to not like about the guy.”

The petition doesn’t call for any specific statue, or moment to be enshrined, just that it feature number nine. But, if given a choice, Ivey says he has a few recommendations for what he would like to see on display.

“There’s always the Super Bowl trophy that was a really special moment, and then of course, his record breaking touchdown pass, that was really something.”